Ingredients
Fruit
- 1 kgcas, sour guava
- or 800 g frozen cas pulp
- 1.5 litrescold water
To sweeten
- 250 gsugar, or to taste
- a pinch of salt
Sometimes added
- a squeeze of lime
- plenty of ice
- milk, for a fresco en leche
Directions
- Wash the cas thoroughly in cold water. Trim off the stem and blossom ends.
- Cut each of the fruit in half. There is no need to peel them. Put the halved fruit in a blender. Add about half of all the water.
- Blend it in short bursts only. Do not blend it for a long time. Pour the blended mixture through a sieve. Press the pulp against the mesh with a spoon.
- Discard the seeds and the skins. Strain it twice if it seems gritty. Add the rest of the water to the strained juice. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the pinch of salt as well.
- Taste it and adjust the sugar. Cas needs a good deal of sugar. Taste it again once it is cold. Adjust the sugar at that point. Serving it is done cold over ice.
- Stir the jug well before pouring. Fill glasses with plenty of ice. Pour the fresco over all the ice.
- Blend the cas with milk instead of water. It keeps two days refrigerated. Stir it well each time before pouring.
Technique
- A fresco is a fresh fruit drink blended with water and sugar, served with almost every meal in Costa Rica, and made with milk instead it becomes a fresco en leche.
- Cas is Psidium friedrichsthalianum, a relative of the common guava but far more sour, rarely eaten out of hand and used in drinks and preserves instead.
- The fruit must be blended only in short bursts, since long blending crushes the hard seeds and releases a bitterness that spoils the drink.
Substitutions
- Frozen cas pulp is sold in Latin American shops and saves preparing the fruit.
- Ordinary guava can be used, though it is far sweeter and gives a different drink.
Variations
- Fresco de cas en leche, blended with milk, is equally common.
- Costa Rican sodas serve frescos made from a dozen different fruits.
- Cas is also cooked into jams and preserves.
History
Cas is a small acid guava native to Costa Rica, too sharp to eat raw but ideal as a fresco.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fresco de cas?
Fresco de cas is a drink from Costa Rica: sour tropical guava blended with water and sugar, served in a jug. Cas is a small acid guava native to Costa Rica, too sharp to eat raw but ideal as a fresco.
How long does Fresco de cas take to make?
Fresco de cas takes 20 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes about 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Fresco de cas?
Yes, within limits. Frozen cas pulp is sold in Latin American shops and saves preparing the fruit. Ordinary guava can be used, though it is far sweeter and gives a different drink.
What is the most important thing to get right in Fresco de cas?
Blend it in short bursts only. Do not blend it for a long time. Pour the blended mixture through a sieve. Press the pulp against the mesh with a spoon.
